ELECTIONS
Rep. Josh Gottheimer introduced two House bills aimed at election-worker and polling-place protection and at damage to ballot boxes. Both were referred to the House Judiciary Committee, but no operative bill text, penalty provisions or enforcement details are available in the official records reviewed.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
House members introduced two bills and submitted a resolution Oct. 29 involving large data centers, congressional technology expertise and AI-market financial stress. The measures have been referred to committees; none is enacted policy.
COURTS
Rep. John Carter of Texas told House Speaker Mike Johnson that a Bell County, Texas, district court had served him with a subpoena for documents and that, after consulting House counsel, he concluded compliance would conflict with the House’s privileges and rights. The House notice does not identify the case, documents sought, parties or any court ruling.
CONGRESS RECAP
Congress held brief pro forma sessions Oct. 29 without floor debate, recorded votes or passage of legislation. The House logged bills presented to the president, committee reports, executive communications and 34 new bill introductions before adjourning until Nov. 2; the Senate also adjourned until Nov. 2.
COURTS
The Justice Department told Congress that it considers the statutory restriction on removing administrative law judges unconstitutional and will not defend it in court. The House referred the notification from the solicitor general to the Judiciary Committee.
WORLD AFFAIRS
A bipartisan group of House members introduced H.R. 10912 to address third-party transfers of certain defense articles for Ukraine. The measure was referred to the House Foreign Affairs Committee, with its specific requirements still unavailable for review.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
A bipartisan House bill would establish a voluntary Agriculture Department certification program for swine facilities, working with states and the swine industry. Supporters say it could strengthen disease preparedness and market continuity, while questions remain about standards, oversight and participation.
CONGRESS RECAP
Congress met briefly Monday, with the House introducing 10 bills and three resolutions but neither chamber taking a recorded vote or passing legislation. The House and Senate both adjourned until Thursday after sessions lasting about two minutes and less than a minute, respectively.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Rep. Eugene Vindman introduced a House bill that would prohibit individualized pricing, dynamic pricing and facial-recognition-based pricing at large retail food stores and their online platforms. The measure has been referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, with its detailed legal terms not yet available in the retrieved record.
WHITE HOUSE & EXECUTIVE
The House recorded receipt of 18 DEA regulatory communications and referred them to the Energy and Commerce Committee. The entries include proposed rules, final rules, temporary amendments and proposed amendments, but the House referral was not a vote approving the actions or a new law.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Rep. Sheri Biggs, R-S.C., introduced three House bills aimed at foreign-technology risks in Defense Department operations. The measures concern biotechnology capabilities of foreign adversaries, certain Chinese robotic systems and cellular modules in defense systems; all remain at the referral stage.
CONGRESS RECAP
Congress held brief sessions Oct. 22 with no recorded floor votes, legislative debate or bill passage. The House completed administrative work, received a committee report on San Francisco Bay restoration and recorded 53 new bills before adjourning at 3:02 p.m.; the Senate adjourned 30 seconds after convening.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
WASHINGTON — The House has recorded the Common Cents Act as signed by the speaker pro tempore after the Senate passed it without amendment. The bill would stop routine penny production, preserve existing pennies as legal tender and allow specified cash amounts to be rounded to five-cent increments when exact change is unavailable. It has not yet become law.
WORLD AFFAIRS
WASHINGTON — Rep. Gregory W. Meeks introduced H.R. 10828 to impose sanctions related to Russian oil and gas extraction and refinement. The House sent the proposal to six committees, and the available legislative record shows no hearing, markup, vote or final action.
ELECTIONS
Rep. Yvette Clarke introduced H.R. 10814, a bill that would require political advertisements to state when generative AI created images or video footage. The proposal has been referred to the House Administration Committee and has not received a House floor vote.
CONGRESS RECAP
Congress conducted a brief procedural day Oct. 15, with no recorded floor votes or legislative debate before both chambers adjourned until Oct. 19. The House recorded Senate passage of 21 House bills without amendment, the signing of their enrolled versions, and the introduction of 30 new bills and one proposed constitutional amendment.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
The Senate moved S. 4668, the Protect College Sports Act of 2026, toward a scheduled Sept. 28 final-passage vote after adopting a substitute amendment, 77-23, and invoking cloture, 74-25. The bill would set federal rules for college-athlete NIL deals, transfers, agents, revenue sharing, nonrevenue sports and certain media-rights agreements.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Sens. Mark Warner, Brian Schatz and Andy Kim outlined a proposed federal AI-safety framework centered on independent review, secure testing, predeployment checks and incident reporting. The Senate-floor discussion was advocacy for an emerging bipartisan proposal, not final legislation or a completed vote.
WORLD AFFAIRS
The Senate rejected a measure directing the president to remove U.S. forces from hostilities against Iran unless Congress authorized the conflict. The resolution failed 49-50, with four Republicans voting yes and Democratic Sen. John Fetterman voting no.
CONGRESS RECAP
The Senate rejected an Iran withdrawal resolution by one vote, 49-50, while advancing a college-sports bill toward a final vote scheduled for Sept. 28. It also cleared several other measures as the House recorded no floor legislative votes.